


outlive the night - extras

by Dym



Series: waves of night [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, POV Multiple, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:35:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25420063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dym/pseuds/Dym
Summary: Odds and ends. Various snippets from other character's POV.First up: Lavender Brown, and Gregory Goyle
Series: waves of night [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1841206
Comments: 8
Kudos: 45





	1. Lavender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lavender on Harry and Pettigrew.

When she comes to Hogwarts she’s excited. She finally gets to use her wand! And make lots of new friends! And the Boy-Who-Lived will be in her year! So yes, she’s excited. She’s also sad, because she’ll miss home, and Grandma, and Binky who is the best rabbit ever! So soft! and fluffy! and cute!

Then she gets sorted into Gryffindor alongside Harry. She can call him Harry now! And he’s not what she expected. Not obviously heroic, instead, he’s what she imagines an older brother to be like. Though she thinks he’s younger. Maybe. Is he? He’s very clever though, him and Hermione and Draco who is a Malfoy but actually maybe not too bad. 

Then Halloween. And Harry has been a little distracted lately, even though the rest of them have being getting excited and maybe she’s a bad friend because she didn’t notice, but that’s OK because Hermione did and she spoke to all of them and she can’t believe she FORGOT that Halloween is when his parents died. Which is… really sad. So they have to keep an eye on him and cheer him up and then the ugly fight in DADA. She’s not impressed with Quirrell, any of the other Professors would have said something sooner. Well, maybe not Binns. It was, maybe, a little funny that Dean conjured water all over Harry, though not so funny that he’d seemed to be glowing first. She hadn’t realised accidental magic was still possible after getting your wand. And the troll. Which apparently meant Hermione and Draco weren’t fighting anymore. Which is Good. And Harry is happy. Which is also Good. 

But Hogwarts is amazing! Some of the classes are hard - Potions, Herbology, DADA. But her friends are always willing to help! It’s like a dream! And Parvati is her best friend. She almost, almost, doesn’t want to go home for Christmas, but she does - and it’s amazing! She sees her family! Binky! And presents! And Harry the sweetheart sent her Muggle sweets to try. And what he calls gel pens. They’re amazing! He’s so sweet! He probably sent something to everyone in their study group! She has to do something similar next year! 

And then before she knows it, she’s back at Hogwarts again. The holidays are both too long, and too short. Harry’s practising his Transfiguration skills in the Common Room, Ron’s winning a game of chess against Dean, who looks like he wishes to be anywhere but there. Exploding Snap in the corner, and she’s updating Parvati on everything that happened away from Hogwarts. And then. 

She doesn’t remember how it got to the short ugly man who appeared from nowhere? From a rat? To him holding her at wand-point. She just knows she’s frightened, and she really really doesn’t want to be here right now. She doesn’t want to be a brave Gryffindor. She just wants to be a safe Lavender. 

Then Harry. His eyes are on hers, and she never really realised how eerie and beautiful they are. So green. Like she could fall into them. That’s not a bad last thing to ever see. But he’s saying she’ll be OK. He’ll keep her safe. And. And. She believes him. She Believes HIM! And he does keep her safe. The bad ugly man is gone - to be taken away by the Professors. And Harry falls down. The fire was a little scary, but she rushes to him anyway. They tell her, and the rest of Gryffindor that he’ll be fine, they’re taking him to Madame Pomfrey. 

She has to speak to Aurors. They’re a little scary too. But in a good way, like Harry. Who she really needs to see - and say sorry she got in the way! And see that he’s OK!

And then the next day - when he comes rushing down out of his dorm - for her! She’s so happy! But then he thinks it’s all _his_ fault! And it’s not, it’s hers! 

Only it’s not. It’s the short ugly man whose name is Pettigrew. All his fault. And if the whispers she’s hearing are true - there are some other things which might be his fault too. Poor Harry! She’s going to make sure to be the best friend/little sister to him ever! And she’s going to learn enough to stop any other short ugly men like Pettigrew. Before they hurt anyone else she cares about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I first read Harry Potter back in the day, I was dismissive of characters like Lavender. I like to think that I’ve grown since then, and can appreciate characters and people that sure, don’t consider the same things to be important as I do, and also - she’s an eleven or twelve year old CHILD. I don’t know that I’m happy with my Lavender voice, but it’ll do.  
> Sometimes hard times shape us in unexpected ways, whether that means we regress a little seeking comfort in known things, or find new things to push us. Hell, both even. I once went on a course aimed at helping people cope with change and pressure. It basically boiled down to find healthy coping mechanisms, get help from other people, this too shall pass, and don’t be too hard on yourself because it’s not a straight linear progression to being OK. It’s a four-dimensional chaotic wellspring where you rubber-band back to your starting point or further, but you get there. Eventually. So I figure I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the Gryffindors are a little traumatised because of Pettigrew’s appearance.


	2. Greg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gregory Goyle is learning, and making his own choices.

Gregory Goyle is aware that he isn’t smart. Not like his younger sister, who is clever and precious. It takes him a long time to read, and write. And he’s still not very good. At Hogwarts he expects to be in Slytherin, he is. And to act as Draco’s muscle, he does? Though possibly the line is blurring towards friend. Vince is in a similar position but he doesn’t have the clever younger sister who’s already cleverer than him. 

Harry Potter isn’t what he expected. He is frighteningly clever, as is Hermione Granger. Draco is too, but he’s been trained since birth, and actually Greg supposes so has Harry. He didn’t expect Potter, Harry, to be kind. But he is, kind and patient. Willing to wait and explain. He asks if it’s easier for him to listen to texts rather than read. Breaks the homework questions down - further and further until he starts seeing how it fits. It’s embarrassing, but then when he realises how Harry sees himself in Potions… it’s like he doesn’t think there’s a competition. They’re all just… meant to do their own personal best? Shoring up their weak points? 

He thinks about this. A lot. He sees his Head of House, Harry’s suggestion when it was clear something was troubling him. And there, then, the choices are before him. He could be bitter and jealous and not try his hardest even though his hardest won’t get him to the same ability as some of his friends. Be jealous of his baby sister. Or he could try to let it go, try his hardest, be proud of his friends and his sister for their efforts, be proud of himself for his own? He thinks; his friends would help him, and he would them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the saddest things in HP is how one-dimensional some characters are, and how some things seem to be set in stone. Slytherin therefore you will become a Death Eater. Also I head-canon that probably both Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe have a specific learning difficulty. That, and/or they play into stereotypes. 
> 
> Also - as far as I'm concerned HP is out there and fans can make of it what they will. JKR's bigotry has no place in fandom.


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